We are introducing a new column today, featuring links to some of the stranger news stories from the past week that you may have missed. Let us know what you think!

School Evacuated Over Their Own Suspicious Package

The students sent a package of letters to troops in Iraq. The military refused and returned it. A teacher got nervous, and raised an alarm. Sometimes you can’t even trust the mail you send!

Dutch Woman Driving a Tractor to Antarctica

Manon Ossevoort, an actress and performance artist, has spent the last two-and-a-half years driving a tractor on a trip to the South Pole. She’s currently in Tanzania, and says she has been rescuing drivers of stranded vehicles along the way.

Why did the salmon cross the road?

To get to their spawning grounds during the flood season in Washington, of course! The Skokomish River rises every November and December, providing the fish with a chance to swim across roads. Watch them do it.

Waitress with Backwards Feet Refuses Pension

27-year-old Wang Fang of Chongqing, China says she is perfectly capable of working, and even running, despite having been born with feet that point the wrong way. She doesn’t consider herself disabled.

Very Old Cat Gives Up Predator Job

Pussywillow was in the news, with a BBC story speculating that she could be the world’s oldest cat at age 26. Until recently, she only ate food she killed herself. But she has a long way to go for the world record.

Christmas Treetops Stolen

A Christmas tree farmer in east Tennessee discovered a Grinch had sawed off the top six feet of 28 large trees that were ready for market. Authorities believe they will be resold as whole trees.